Apparatus for forming and handling reels of paper or like material

ABSTRACT

Apparatus in which reels of paper are formed on a hollow core supported at its ends by freely rotatable chucks, the core being rotated by contact with a driven winding roller. Nip pressure between the reel being wound and the winding roller is maintained by air pressure acting through pneumatic cylinders and linkages, connecting the piston rod of each cylinder to one of the chucks. The chucks are movable along horizontal rails fixed to separate support means slidably mounted on a frame which is pivotally connected to a fixed part of the apparatus. When a reel is completed it is moved away from the winding roller to a rest position, and is then lowered to the ground by swinging the frame and thus the support means, about its pivot. To ensure substantially constant nip pressure across the whole width of the reel a bracket is slidably mounted on the frame between a pair of support means, the bracket pivotally supporting a pair of arms which carry two rollers which are moved into engagement with the reel by pneumatic means, and moved away from the reel when the latter is of such a diameter that it is stiff enough to prevent bowing.

United States Patent [1 1 Walkington Dec. 30, 1975 [54] APPARATUS FORFORMING AND HANDLING REELS OF PAPER OR LIKE M ATERIAL [75] inventor:Colin Walkington, Bristol, England [73] Assignee: Masson Scott ThrissellEngineering Limited, Bristol, England [22] Filed: Aug. 13, 1974 [21]Appl. No.: 497,903

[30] Foreign Application Priority Data Aug. 15, i973 United Kingdom39556/73 [52] 0.8. CI. 242/65 [51] Int. Cl. 1365!! 17/08 [58] Field oiSearch 242/56 R, 65, 66, 68.4

[56] References Cited UNlTED STATES PATENTS 2,391,265 l2ll945 Palmer242/684 3,250,483 5/l966 Printz et al. 242/65 3,332,636 7/l967 Rockstromet al. 242/65 Primary ExaminerLeonard D. Christian Attorney, Agent, orFirm-John C. Smith, Jr.

[ S 7 ABSTRACT Apparatus in which reels of paper are formed on a hollowcore supported at its ends by freely rotatable chucks, the core beingrotated by contact with a driven winding roller. Nip pressure betweenthe reel being wound and the winding roller is maintained by airpressure acting through pneumatic cylinders and linkages, connecting thepiston rod of each cylinder to one of the chucks. The chucks are movablealong horizontal rails fixed to separate support means slidably mountedon a frame which is pivotally connected to a fixed part of theapparatus. When a reel is completed it is moved away from the windingroller to a rest position, and is then lowered to the ground by swingingthe frame and thus the support means, about its pivot. To ensuresubstantially constant nip pressure across the whole width ,of the reela bracket is slidably mounted on the frame between a pair of supportmeans, the bracket pivotally supporting a pair of arms which carry two,rollers which are moved into engagement with the reel by pneumaticmeans, and moved away from the reel when the latter is of such adiameter that it is stiff enough to prevent bowing.

[4 Claims, 7 Drawing Figures US. Patent 1m. 30, 1975 Sheet 1 of63,929,299

U.S. Patent Dec. 30, 1975 Sheet 2 of6 3,929,299

U.S. Patent Dec. 30, 1975 Sheet4 0f6 3,929,299

APPARATUS FOR FORMING AND-.I-IAhlDLING REELS OF PAPER OR LIKE MATERIALThis invention concerns improvements in or relating to apparatus forforming and handling reels of paper or like material.

For convenience in the following description reference will only be madeto apparatus embodying the invention when used in conjunction with apaper winder] slitter, but it should be understood that the inventionmay equally be applied to the forming and handling of reels of paperdelivered by other types of machines or reels of other materials.

Paper winders and slitters are conventionally 'arranged with the axes oftheir supply and take-up reels horizontal and the reel being formed issome distance above the floor on which the machine stands. When acompleted reel is to be unloaded from the machine it is usual to providesome convenient form of mobile crane for lifting the reel away from themachine and lowering it onto the floor or onto a truck. Alternatively alowering or tilting table is often provided, adjacent to but separatefrom the machine, and onto which the reel is transferred for loweringonto the floor or truck.

According to the present invention there is provided apparatusforhandling reels of paper or like material comprising a pair of rotatablechuck means adapted to be inserted into opposite ends of a hollow coreon which a reel is to be formed, a carrier for each of said chuck means,support'means for each of said carriers, said support means beingmovably connected to a platform and each having a surface along whichone of said carriers is arranged to bemov'e'd, a f xed mounting to whichsaid platform is pivdtally connected, the axis of said pivotalconnection being parallel to the axis of said core whenthe latter isengaged by said ch'u'ck means, and operating means connected to saidplatform, wherein said carriers are arranged to move in one directionalong said surface on said'support means during formation of the reeland said operating means is operable after completion of the reel tocause said platform to move relative to said fixed mounting about'saidpivotal connection so as to move the completed reel to an unloadingposition.

Where'two or more reels are to be formed side by side (i.e., in axialalignment) and the completed reels are of different diameters allthesupport meansassoeiated with the reels are connected to a commonplatform, the operating means being arranged to move the platform sothat all the support means move in unison about said pivotal connection,so that the axes of the reels remain in alignment, but due to thedifferent diameters of the reels, the peripheries of the individualreels reach the unloading position one after the other in one operatingcycle of said operating means. Thus the periphery of the largestdiameter reel reaches the unloading position first and whilst the othersmaller diameter reels are being moved to the unloading position, oncontinued pivotal movement of said platform, further movement of thelargest diameter reel about said pivotal connection is prevented but dueto the continued movement of said platform the carrier means associatedwith the largest diameter reel moves relative to the surface on theassociated support means in the opposite direction to said onedirection. By the time said operating means reaches the end of itsoperating stroke all the 2 reels will have completed their travel tosaid unloading position.

in a preferred form of apparatus means are provided for moving saidcarrier means in said one direction along said surface on said supportmeans to a rest position prior to said operating means being actuated tocause said platform to move relative to said fixed mounting about saidpivotal connection. Control means may be provided adjacent said surfaceat said rest position said control means being arranged so thatactuation of said operating means is inhibited until said carrier meanshas reached the rest position (or, in apparatus wherein two or morereels are formed side by side, actuation of said operating means isinhibited until both or all the carrier means have reached the restposition).

Preferably said operating means is a pneumatic cylinder and said controlmeans comprises a microswitch associated with each carrier, themicroswitch or microswitches being connected to control energisation ofa solenoid valve which in turn controls the flow of air to the pneumaticcylinder.

According to a further aspect of the invention there is providedapparatus for forming reels of paper or like material including at leastone pair of chuck means on which a reel can be supported for rotationduring its formation by insertion of said chuck means into opposite endsof a hollow core on which said reel is wound, comprising a drivenrotatable winding roller, a carrier for each of said chuck means,support means for each of said carriers, said support means each havinga horizontal surface along which the associated carrier is movable, andoperating means arranged to keep the peripheral surface of the reel incontact with the peripheral surface of said winding roller as the reelis wound and said carriers move along said horizontal surface away fromsaid winding roller, wherein said operating means includes first movingmeans and 'a constant ratio linkage connecting said moving means to saidcarriers.

The constant ratio linkage (i.e., a linkage having a constant mechanicaladvantage over its operating range) may take various forms but in apreferred form the linkage comprises in essence a pivotally mountedlever connected at different radii to the moving means and to theassociated carrier.

Preferably a moving means and constant ratio linkage is provided in eachof the support means. The moving means may comprise a pneumatic cylinderto which pressure air'is supplied. During formation of the reel, the airpressure is regulated so that an appropriate nip pressure always existsbetween the winding roller and the reel being formed. With thisarrangement the pressure of the air supplied to the cylinder provided ineach of two support means between which a reel being formed issupported, may be regulated so that a different nip pressure existsbetween the winding roller and the reel, at opposite ends of the reel.

It may be desirable, especially in apparatus winding wide webs, not torely solely upon forces applied through the chuck means to secure adesired nip pressure as (at least in the early stages of winding, whenthe material wound upon the core is insufficient to stiffen the latterto any significant extent) the partly wound reel may bow. Reel-formingapparatus embodying the invention may therefore include one or morerollers arranged to function as so-called riding rollers, i.e., to pressagainst the reel being wound intermediate its 3 ends, and a preferredarrangement of this nature will be disclosed in the followingdescription.

Some variation in nip pressure occurs due to the change in the relativeposition of the reel-engaging elements during winding. As will later beexplained in more detail, it is advantageous that the apparatus layoutis such that, at the commencement of forming the reel, the angle betweenthe horizontal plane containing the axis of rotation of the windingroller and the radius of the winding roller through the point of contactof said winding roller with the core is between 20 and 60", preferablybetween 30 and 50''.

A preferred form of apparatus according to the invention will now bedescribed by way of example only with reference to the accompanyingdrawings in which:

FIG. 1 is a side view partly in section of the delivery end of a machinefor forming reels of paper from a continuous web and unloading thecompleted reels from the machine;

FIG. 2 is a plan view of FIG. I with some parts omitted for clarity;

FIG. 3 is a detail of part of FIG. I with some parts shownin a differentposition, and drawn to a larger scale;

FIG. 4 is a diagram of the gometry of some of the parts shown in FIG. 3;

FIG. 5 is a diagram of the geometry of some of the parts shown in FIG.I;

FIG. 6 is a view taken in the direction of the arrow VI-VI of FIG. 3,drawn to a larger scale with some parts broken away; and

FIG. '7 shows a modification to part of the apparatus of FIGS. I and 2.

A continuous web I of paper (FIG. I) is fed over rollers 2 and slit intothree narrower webs by means of two disc knives 3, only one of which isvisible in the drawings, the knives 3 cutting against a cooperatingroller 4. From the roller 4 the three webs are fed over a winding roller5, which rotates in the direction of the arrow. The three webs of paperare each formed into a reel as will be described later, the centre webbeing formed intoa reel RI on the left-hand side (as viewed in FIG. I)of the roller 5, and the two outer webs being formed into reels R2 andR3 on the right-hand side (as viewed in FIG. I) of the roller 5. For thesake of clarity, the reels R1, R2, R3 are shown in FIG. 2 in chain-dotlines. The rollers 2, 4, 5 and the knives 3 are each carried on separateshafts which extend between side frames 6 only one of which is visiblein FIG. I.

Formed in the floor as shown at 7, on which the side frames 6 stand, isa shallow pit 8. Fixed to the bottom of the pit 8, and to the left (asviewed in FIG. I) of the roller 5 is a pair of fixed mountings 9. Ashaft I extends between and is journalled at its ends in the mountings9. One end of each of a pair of short levers II is fixed to the shaft I0adjacent to one of the mountings 9. To the right (as viewed in FIGS. Iand 2) of the shafts 10, in line with the levers II, and mounted on thefloor are a pair of brackets 12. Connected between the other end of eachof the levers I1 and the bracket 12 in line therewith is one of a pairof pneumatic cylinders I3, the brackets 12 each being connected to oneof the cylinders 13 and the levers II being connected to the associatedpiston rod.

Also fixed to the shaft I0 is a platform, generally indicated at 14,which extends over almost the whole length of the shaft 10, as shown inFIG. 2. The platform [4 comprises a number of arms I5, which are spacedapart along and fixed to the shaft 10. Extending across all the arms 15and fixed to the upper surfaces thereof are a number of narrow slats I6(FIG. 3) and a wide plate 17. Mounted on top of the slats [6 are anumber of further narrow slats l8, 19 (FIGS. 2 and 3 and a pair oftoothed racks 20, 21. Carried on the platform 14 are two support means22, 23 which are so mounted that they may be individually moved alongthe slats l8, 19 as will be described later. With this arrangement thesupport means 22, 23 may be swung about the axis of the shaft 10 byrotating the latter by mans of the cylinders l3 and levers ll.

Apparatus similar to that just described with reference to numerals 7 to21 is mounted in the pit 8 to the right (as viewed in FIG. I) of theroller 5, so will not be described in detail again. A platform 24 isfixed to a shaft 25 which is rotated in mountings 26 by means ofpneumatic cylinders 27 and short levers 28, the platform being providedwith narrow slats 18a, 19a and toothed racks 20a, 21a correspondingrespectively to the narrow slats I8, 19 and toothed racks 20, 21 on theplatform 14. Carried on the platform 24 are four sup port means 29, 30,31, 32 which are mounted on the platform 24 in a similar manner to thatin which the support means 22, 23 are mounted on the platform 14.

The construction of the support means 22 will now be described withreference to FIGS. 3 and 6. The support means comprises two side plates33, 34, a front plate 35, and a rear plate 36. Fixed to the top of theside plate 34 and extending between the front and rear plates 35, 36respectively is a rail 37, a similar rail 38 being fixed to the sideplate33. A carrier, in the form of a carriage 39, is mounted on thesupport means 22 so that it may be moved along the rails 37, 38 as willbe described later. For this purpose the carriage 39 is provided with anumber of rollers 40 which are arranged, as in the drawings, so that thecarriage is constrained to move in a path parallel to the surfaces ofthe rails 37, 38. Mounted for free rotation in the carri'age 39 is achick 41, capable of being inserted, by axial movement'thereof, into theend of a hollow cardboard core and then expanded so as to grip theinterior surface of the core, and may be of any convenient form.

Positioned near to and below the left hand end (as viewed in FIG. 3) ofthe rail 37 is a microswitch 42 having an operating arm 43 which isengageable at certain times, as will be described later, by one of therollers 40, the roller in question being marked 40a in FIG. 3.

The side plates 34, 35 are cairied on a pair of base plates 44, 45 whichare spaced as shown in FIG. 3, and extend beyond the side walls 34, 35as shown in FIG. 6. Supported at opposite ends from the base plates 44,45 is a bridge piece 46 which carries two bearings 47, 48. Journalled inthe bearings 47, 48 is a shaft 49, to one end of which a pinion 50 isfixed adjacent the bearing 47. A further pinion 51 is fixed to the shaft49 adjacent the bearing 48, the shaft extending through the pinion 5iand beyond the rear plate 36. A handle 52 is mounted on that end of theshaft 49 which extends beyond the plate 36 and is provided with areversible ratchet of any known form so that the shaft 49 and thus alsothe pinions 50, 51 may be rotated in either direction.

The support means 22 is mounted on the platform I4 so that the undersurfaces of the base plates 44, 45 engage the upper surfaces of thenarrow slats l9, I8

respectively, and thepinionsSl), 51 engage in the racks 20, 21respectively. A block 53 (FIG. '3)-is fixed to the base plate 44 so thatit engages the under surface of the right hand (as viewed in FIG. 3)slat 19. A similar block 54 is fixed to the base plate 45 so that itengages the under surface of the left hand (as viewed in FIG. 3) slat18. The arrangement is such that by operating the handle 52 the pinions50, 51 are rotated and the support means 22 moved to any requiredposition along the platform 14 as the pinions roll along the racks, thebase plates 44, 45 and blocks 53, 54 acting to prevent the support means22 from skewing across the slats I8, 19.

Extending through the gap between the slats 18 and two holes formed inthe base plate 45 are two rods 55 (only one of which is visible in thedrawings) provided with enlarged end portions which extend below theslats 18 between adjacent slats l6 and are of such dimensions that theycannot pass between the slats 18. The rods 55 extend upwardly beyond the.plate 45 through a cross piece 56, which is prevented from being liftedoff the rods by nuts screwed on to the rods. A bracket 57 is fixed tothe top of theplate 45 and pivoted to the bracket is a lever 58 one endof which is hooked, as shown at 59, and which extends between the baseplate 45 and the cross piece 56. The other end of the lever 58 ispivotally connected to a block 60 through which passes a bar 61. Theparts numbered 55 to 59 described above are associated with the slats 18and the base plate 45. A similar construction of parts, shown at 62 to66, is associated with the slats-19 and base plate 44, but will not bedescribed in detail as they correspond to the parts 55 to 59respectively. The end of the lever 65 remote from the hooked end 66 ispivotally connected to the right hand end (as viewed in FIG. 3) of thebar 61. The bar 61 extends to the left (as viewed in FIG. 3) beyond theblock 60 and has a knob 67 screwed on to its end. A tubular sleeve 68extends between the knob 67 and the block 60 and the bar 61 is arrangedto slide in the sleeve 68.

A shaft 69 extends between the side plates 33, 34 and a lever 70 ispivotally connected at one end to the shaft. The other end of the lever70 is pivotally connected at 71 to one end of a link 72 which in turn isconnected at its other end to a pin 73 carried on the carriage 39.

A further shaft 74 extends between the side plates 33, 34 and carried onthe shaft is a pneumatic. cylinder 75. The free end of the piston rod76, associated with the cylinder 75, is pivotally connected by a pin 77to one end of a short link 78, the other end of which is similarlyconnected at 78a to the lever 70. The pin 77 has a roller (not shown)freely mounted at each end, the rollers running in slots 79 formed inplates 80 (only one of each of the slots 79 and plates 80 being visiblein the drawings). The geometry of the lever 70, link 72, short link 78,piston rod 76, the paths along which the pins 73, 77 travelrespectively, and the position of the connection 78a on the lever 70 aresuch that a linkage is provided having a constant mechanical advantageover its operating range i.e., between the full line and chaindot linepositions shown in FIG. 3. To meet this requirement certain conditionshave to be met and these will now be explained with reference to FIG. 4.

For ease of description, in FIG. 4 the centre of shaft 69 is shown as A,the pivot 71 as B, the centre of pin 73 as C, the pivot 78a as D and thecentre of pin 77 as E; the line CF represents the path along which thepoint C moves and the line EG represents the path along which the pointB moves as the carriage 39 is moved along the rails 37, 38. Thedimensions of the various parts of the linkage described above are suchthat if H represents the distance in a straight line between the pointsA and B; .l represents the distance between the points A and I); Krepresents the distance between the points 8 and C and L represents thedistance between the points D and E, then H divided by 1 equals Kdivided by L. Additionally, at all positions in the operating of thelinkage, angle CBA equals angle EDA and angle FCB equals angle GED. Alsoprovided within the support means 22 are a pressure valve 81, a pressuregauge 82, and two push buttons 83, 84.

The support means 23 is similar to the support means 22 described abovebut is built as a mirror" image thereof. This is done so that thesupport means 22, 23 may operate as a pair in supporting a core on'v'vhiehv a reel of paper is to be wound, as will be described later. Inother words the chuck 41 of the support means 22 and the correspondingchuck of the support means 23 may be inserted into opposite ends of thesame core. The support means 30, 32 are identical with the support means22 and the support means 29, 31 are identical with the support means 23so that the support means 29,30 and 31, 32 each form a pair betweenwhich a'reel may be supported.

The operation of the apparatus in forming a reel of paper and unloadingthe completed reel from the apparatus will now be described.

It will be assumed that the web 1 is to be slit into three equal widthwebs each of which is to be wound,

into a reel. The machine operator moves the support means 22 to theposition shown in FIG. 2 by operating the handle 52 which causes thepinions 50, 51 to rotate and roll along their respective racks 20, 21.When the support means 22 is at the required position the operator turnsthe knob 67 which has the effect of pulling the rod 61 to the left, andpushing the sleeve 68- to the right, as viewed in FIG. 3. Thesemovements combined cause the levers 58, 65 to rotate on the brackets 57,64 in clockwise and anti-clockwise direction respectively, as viewed inFIG. 3. This causes the hooked ends 59, 66 to lift the cross pieces 56,63 and thus the rods 55, 62 respectively, which movement causes theenlarged end portions of the rods 55, '62 to engage the lower surfacesof the slats l8, 19respectively and clamp the base plates 44, 45 against.the slats on which they slide, thus holding the support means 22against further movement along the slats l8, 19. One end of a hollowcore, of known form is then pushed over the chucls41, and the supportmeans 23 is then moved towards the support means 22 so as to insert thechuck 41 carried on the support means 23 into the other end of the core.The support means 23 is then clamped to the platform 14 in the same wayas the support means 22. The pairs of support means 29, 30 and 31, 32are then moved to the positions shown in FIG. 2 in the same way, with acore supported by the chucks of each pair. As all the reels are formedin the same manner, only the formation to be wound on the core supportedbetween the support means 22, 23 will be described. With the sup portmeans in the positions shown in FIG. 3, all the rails 37, 38 horizontal.

It is preferable that the push buttons 83, 84 on each of the supportmeans are duplicated on a common control panel (not shown) and wherereference is made to either button in the following description it maybe either the button on the support means or the control panel.

7 The operator attaches the end of the web to the core and thendepresses the button 84 which causes air to be admitted into thecylinder 75 so that the piston rod 76 moves to the right, as viewed inFIG. 3, and through the short link 78, lever 70 and link 72 causes thecarriages 39 toalso move to the right until the core engages the windingroll 5. The machine is then started by the operator and the windingroller is driven so that it rotates in the direction shown by the arrowin FIG. 1. The roller 5 frictionally drives the core in ananti-clockwise direction, as viewed in FIG. 1, thus winding the web ontothe core. As the reel increases in diameter so that carriages 39 on thesupport means 22, 23 move along the rails 37, 38 away from the roller 5.

To form an acceptable reel of paper the tightness with which each layeris wound onto the reel has to be controlled, and the tightness of thereel is governed to a (e.g., extent by the nip pressure exerted betweenthe surface of the reel being wound and the surface of the windingroller 5. The nip pressure referred to above is created by applying aforce to the carriages 39 which opposes the movement of the latter awayfrom the roller 5. The magnitude of this force is dependent upon the airpressure applied to the cylinder 75 and a controlled leakage (i.e., aneedle valve) in the pneumatic system, the pressure in the cylinder 75being varied by means of the valve 81.

With the form of linkage described above connecting the piston rods 76to the carriages 39, the nip pressure between the reel and the roller 5is directly proportional to the pressure applied to the cylinder 75 formoving the carriages 39 towards the roller 5, and remains substantiallyconstant throughout the period during which the reel is being formed.

The nip pressure does, in fact, decrease as the reel increases indiameter, due to the nip point moving upwards round the circumference ofthe winding roller 5. Due to the fact that the rails 37, 38 arehorizontal the increasing weight of the reel has no effect on the nippressure, so once the pressure in the cylinders 75 has been set, by theoperator (the value of this pressure being dependent upon the type ofmaterial being wound) there is no need for it to be changed, unless ofcourse the type of material being wound is such that, to obtain the bestresults, a greater decrease in nip pressure is necessary than isobtainable by the nip point moving as mentioned above. This extradecrease in nip pressure may be obtainedeither by the operator reducingthe pressure of the air being applied to the cylinder 75, by resettingthe valve 81 at intervals during formation of the reel, or bycontrolling the valve 81 automatically by any convenient known means sothat the air pressure to the cylinder 75 is progressively decreased.

It has been found that to obtain the best results in winding asatisfactory reel the relative positions of the winding roller 5 and thecore, when it is first brought into engagement with the roller 5, asdescribed previously, are of some importance, and this will now bediscussed with added reference to FIG. 5. In FIG. 5, CO represents thecore and X represents the angle between the radius of the drum 5 throughthe nip point, indicated at NP, and the horizontal plane, indicated atPL, containing the axis of rotation of the roller 5. When formation ofthe reel is started, the nip pressure needs to be of such a value thatthe web is tightly wound on to the core CO. For best results the angle Xshould be between and 60 and preferably between and .50", the actualangle chosen being dependent upon the material or materials to be wound.It will be appreciated that said angle is determined by the layout ofthe machine, in particular the height of the rails 37, 38 above thefloor 7 relative to the position of the roller 5, and also the diameterof the core C0. The various dimensions are selected so that the angle X,at the start of reel formation is suitable for the material to be woundor, more commonly, a compromise between the angles required to give thebest result for a variety of different materials. Any difference in nippressure required which is outside that resulting from the chosen layoutof the machine, is obtainable by suitably adjusting the air pressureappliedto the cylinder 75. Once the angle X, during formation of a reel,reaches a value in the region of 30, the difference in nip pressure, dueto the nip point NP moving nearer the plane PL, becomes negligible andneed not be considered.

When the reel is of the required diameter the operator stops themachine, cuts that part of the web I which has been wound to form thereel R1, and attaches the end of the web to the reel.

The operator then depresses button 83 which operates a valve (not shown)which causes the air being fed into the cylinder tobe fed to theopposite side of its associated piston so that the carriages 39, andthus the reel R1, are moved to the left, as viewed in FIG. I, along therails 37, 38. This movement continues until the roller 40a engages theoperating arm 43 of the microswitch 42, when the air supply to thecylinder 75 is interrupted and that the reel R1 stops in a restposition, adjacent that end of the rails 37, 38 remote from the windingroller 5. Pressure air is then fed to the cylinders 13 so that by meansof the levers ll, the platform 14 and thus the support means 22, 23 andreel R1 are swung in an anti-clockwise direction, as viewed in FIG. I,about the axis of the shaft 10 until the surface of the reel R1 engagesthe floor 7. The reel R1 is shown in this position in chain-dot lines onthe left hand end of H6. I. if the next reel to be wound is of the samewidth as the reel R1 the operator then extracts the chucks 41 from thecore by moving the chucks axially in their mountings in their respectivecarriages 39. The new core may then be fitted on to the chucks 41without any movement of the support means 22, 23. Alternatively theoperator unclamps the support means 22, 23 from the slats l9, 18respectively, by turning the knob 67 in the opposite direction to thatwhen the base plates were clamped to their respective slats, asdescribed previously, and moves the support means 22, 23 along the racks20, 21 by means of their respective handles 52 away from the reel R1 soas to extract the chucks 41 from the core. The reel R1 may then'beremoved in any convenient manner and the support means 22, 23 returnedto the position shown in full lines inFlG. 1 ready for a further reel tobe wound in the same manner as described above. This alternative way ofextracting the chucks 41 from the core would preferably be used in caseswhere the next reel to be wound is to be a different width to that ofthe reel Rl.

In the case where the reels wound between each of the pairs of supportmeans 29, 30 and 31, 32 are of the same diameter when completed, thereels are moved to a rest position and then lowered to the floor 7 inthe same manner as described above with respect to the reel R1. Itshould be noted that, in this case, both reels are lowered to the floorin unison due to the support means 29-3l being mounted on a commonstructure, i.e., the platform 24.

It is also possible to wind and unload reels of different diameters onthe same side of the winding roller 5. It will be assumed that the reelsR2 and R3, having different diameters when completed, are to be woundand lowered to the floor. A core is positioned between the support meansof each of the pairs of support means 29, 30 and 31, 32, the cores beingmoved into engagement with the winding roller 5 and the forming of thereels started, all as previously described with reference to the reelR1.

When the reel being wound on the core held between the support means 29,reaches apredetermined diameter, the machine is stopped and the reel islowered to the ground by feeding pressure air to the cylinders 27 whichcauses the,platform 24 to be swung in a clockwise direction, as viewedin FIG. I, about the axis of the shaft 25. The reel is removed from thesupport means 29, 30 which are then returned to their original position.A new core is then placed between the support means 29, 30 and the endof the web attached to it. It will be obvious that the reel being formedbetween the support means 31, 32will also be lowered to the floor at thesame time, but as this reel is not yet of the required diameter it isnot removed and will unwind slightly, and create some slack web betweenit and the roller 5. This slack may be taken up by the operator turningthe reel by hand.

The machine is then started again and the web is wound on to the newempty core as well as the partially formed reel. When both the reels,i.e., the reels R2, R3, have each reached the required-diameter, themachine is again stopped and the reels R2, R3 are each caused to bemoved to a rest position by depression of the appropriate buttons 83. Aseach reel reaches the rest position the associated switch 42 isactuated, and the circuitry is such that air is prevented from being fedto the cylinders 27 until all the switches 42 have been actuated. Whenthis occurs pressure air is fed to the cylinders 27 so that the platform24 is swung in a clockwise direction, as' viewed in FIG. 1. At this timethe reels are in axial alignment, but-due to its larger diameter theperiphery of the reel R3 engages the floor 7 first, and on continuedpivotal movement of the platform 24 the carriages 39 mounted on thecarrier means 31, 32 move relative to their respective rails 37, 38 in adirection opposite to that when the reel was being formed. This movementis possible due to the fact that no air is now being fed to thecylinders 75 mounted inside the support means 29 to 32. Pivotal movementof the platform 24 is stopped when the periphery of the reel R2 engagesthe floor, the reels R2, R3 being shown in this position at the righthand side of FIG. I, and both reels may now be removed as previouslydescribed with reference to reel R1.

If the tightness of the reel is uneven, due for example, to the caliperof the web varying across its width, the nip pressure across the widthof the web may be varied by feeding air at different pressures to thecylinders 75 mounted in the support means between which the reel inquestion is supported.

In the apparatus so far described the nip pressure is obtained byapplying pressure only through the chucks 41 which are inserted intoopposite ends of the core on which the reel is being wound. With thisarrangement it is possible, especially in the case of reels formed fromweb of considerable width, that the nip pressure may be less towards themiddle of the reel than at its ends. In order to apply an even nippressure across the whole 10 width of the reel the apparatus of FIGS. 1and 2 is modified as shown in FIG. 7, which will now be described.

The platform I4 (FIGS. 1, 2) is modified by removing part of the wideplate 17 so that only a portion 17A (FIG. 7) remains. Extending acrossall the arms 15 and fixed to the upper surface thereof are two slats 85,86 and fixed to the top of the latter are two further slats 87, 88respectively. Slidably mounted on the slats 87, 88 is a support bracket89 comprising a bottom plate 90 and two side plates 91, only one ofwhich is visible in the drawing, the plate 90 having blocks 92, 93 fixedto it so that they engage the under surface of the slats 87, 88respectively. Rods 55A (corresponding to rods 55, FIG. 3) are providedfor clamping bracket 89 in a selected position, the rods 55A being eachprovided with a threaded upper end carrying a nut (not visible in thedrawing) for this purpose. The support bracket 89 is mounted on theslats 87, 88 between the support means 22, 23 (FIG. 2) and is moved toany desired position therebetween by means (not shown) which may besimilar in construction and operation to that described previously formoving the support means 22, 23 along the slats I8, 19. Extendingbetween, and journalled at its ends in the side plates 91 is a shaft 94to which is fixed one end of a pair of curved arms 95 (only one beingvisible in the drawing) and a pinion 96. Fixed to a pin 97 on one of theside plates 91 is a bracket 98 which carries a pneumatic cylinder 99. Apiston rod 1000f the cylinder 99 carries at its free end a toothed rack101 which is arranged to mesh with the pinion 96, a roller I02 carriedon the bracket 89 being provided to guide the rack 10] and keep it inmesh with the pinion. The arrangement is such that by applying pressureair to the cylinder 99 the arms 95 may be swung about the axis of theshaft 94 as will be described later.

Fixed between the other ends of the curved arms 95 is a short shaft 103on which two plates 104 (only one being visible in the drawing) arepivotally mounted. Extending between the plates 104 are two rollers 105freely rotatably mounted on shafts which are fixed at their ends to theplates 104. Each curved arm 95 is provided with a pin I06 which engagesin an arcuate slot 107 so formed in the adjacent plate I04 that theplates I04, and thus the rollers 105, can swing about the axis of theshaft 103 between limits defined by the ends of the arcuate slots [07.

In operation, after setting up the machine, as described previously, andprior to starting up the machine, the operator clamps support bracket 89to the slats 87, 88 in a position half-way between the support means 22,23. Air is then fed to the cylinder 99 so that the rack 10] is moved tothe left (as viewed in FIG. 7), which causes the curved arms 95 to beswung clockwise about the axis of rotation of shaft 94, until therollers I05 engage the core. The pressure of the air fed to the cylinder99 is such that the nip pressure between the core and the roller 5 issubstantially constant over the width of the core. The machine is thenstarted and the web is wound on to the core as previously described. Asthe reel increases in diameter it is necessary that both rollers 105remain in contact with the reel, and this is made possible by the plates104 being able to swing about the axis of shaft 103. As explained above,with reference to FIG. 5, it may be necessary to reduce the nip pressureby progressively reducing the air pressure applied to the cylinder 75,and in such circumstances the air pressure applied to the cylinder 99 issimilarly 11 reduced so that the nip pressure appliedth'rough therollers 105 reduces in step withtha't applied through the chucks 41.

When the reel reaches a diameter-such that'it is stiff enough to preventbowing across its width, the rollers I no longer serve any usefulpurpose. When this condition is reached air is fed to the cylinder 99 sothat the rack 101 is moved to the right as viewed in FIG. 7, so that thearms 95 are swung anti-clockwise about the axis of the shaft 94 untilthey reach the position shown in chain-dot lines in FIG. 7 Any suitableknown means may be used for monitoring the size of the reel being formedso that at any predetermined stage of winding the rollers 105 aremoved'out'of engagement with the reel. Conveniently a switchlqot shown)may be placed in the path of the arm 70 (FIG. 3) so that, whenthe switchis operated actuated by the arm, a solenoid valve is operated to feedair to the cylinder 99 to obtain the desired movement of the arms 95.

The platform 24 (FIG. 2) is modified in a similar manner to the platform1.4, the only difference being that a support bracket 89 is positionedbetween the support means 29, 30 and also between-the support means 31,32. i A

I claim:

1. Apparatus for handling reels of paper or like material comprising apair of rotatable chuck means adapted to be inserted into opposite endsof a hollow core on which a reel is to be formed, a carrier for each ofsaid chuck means, support means for each of said carriers, a platform,means for movably connecting said support means having a surface alongwhichone of said carriers is arranged to be moved, a fixed mounting,means pivotally connecting said platform to said fixed mounting, theaxis of said pivotal connection being parallel to the axis of said corewhen the latter is engaged by said chuck means, operating meansconnected to said platform, separate drive means extending between eachof said support means and its associated carrier for moving saidcarriers along the respective surfaces of said support means, saidcarriers being arranged tobe moved in one direction alongthe respectivesurfaces on said support means by both .said drive means duringformation of the reel to a rest position prior to said operating meansbecoming operable, said operating means being operable after completeformation of the reel to cause said platform to move relative to saidfixed mounting about said pivotal connection so as to move the completedreel to an unloading position, and control means adjacent at least oneof said surfaces at said rest position for actuating said operatingmeans and arranged so that actuation of said operating means isinhibited until said carrier has reached said rest position to actuatesaid control means.

1. Apparatus as claimed in claim 1 adapted to accommodate at least tworeels simultaneously and comprising at least two pairs of chuck meanseach with its associated carrier, support means, platform and fixedmounting disposed in a generally symmetrical arrangement.

3. Apparatus as claimed in claim I in which said operation means is apneumatic cylinder and said control means comprises a microswitchoperable by said carrier and a solenoid valve operable by saidmicroswitch for controlling the flow of air to the pneumatic cylinder.

4. Apparatus for forming reels of paper or like material including atleast one pair of chuck means on which a reel can be supported forrotation during its formation by insertion of said chuck meansrespectively into opposite ends of a hollow core on which said reel iswound, comprising a driven rotatable winding roller, a carrier for eachof said chuck means, support means for each of said carriers, saidsupport means each having a horizontal surface along which theassociated carrier is movable, and at least one operating means arrangedto retain the peripheral surface of the reel in contact with theperipheral surface of said winding roller as the reel is wound and saidcarriers move along said horizontal surface away from said windingroller, said operating means including first moving means and a constantratio linkage connecting said moving means to one of said carriers, saidconstant ratio linkage comprising a pivotally mounted lever connected atdifferent radii from the axis of its pivot to the first moving means andto the associated carrier.

5. Apparatus as claimed in claim 4 in which a first moving means and aconstant ratio linkage is provided on each of the support means.

6. Apparatus as claimed in claim 5 in which said first moving means is apneumatic cylinder to which pressure air is supplied.

7. Apparatus as claimed in claim 6 including valve means connected tosaid pneumatic cylinder and adapted tobe actuated to control thepressure of the air supplied to said pneumatic cylinder.

8. Apparatus as claimed in claim 7 including means to. automaticallyactuate said valve means so that as the reel being formed increases indiameter the pressure of the air supplied to said pneumatic cylinder isprogressively decreased.

9. Apparatus as claimed in claim 4 in which the layout of the apparatusis such that, on commencement of forming the reel, the angle between thehorizontal plane containing the axis of rotation of said winding rollerand the radius of the winding roller through the point of contact ofsaid winding roller with the core is between 20 and 60.

" 10. Apparatus as claimed in claim 9 in which said angle is between 30and 50'.

ll. Apparatus as claimed in claim 4 in which said operating meansfurther includes a bracket positioned between a pair of said supportmeans between which the core is supported by said chuck means, secondmoving means carried by said bracket, a pair of arms pivotally connectedat one end thereof to said bracket, two plates pivotally connected totheother ends of said pair of arms, and a pair of rollers rotatably mountedbetween said plates, said second moving means being operable to causesaid arms to swing about their pivotal connection to said bracket so asto move said pair of rollers into contact with the peripheral surface ofthe core prior to commencement of formation of said reel and maintainsaid rollers in contact with the peripheral surface of said reel as itis wound.

12, Apparatus as claimed in claim ll in which said second moving meanscomprises a pneumatic cylinder, a piston rod movable upon actuation ofsaid cylinder, a toothed rack fixed to said piston rod, and a pinionfixedly connected to said pair of arms and in mesh with said rack, sothat on actuation of said pneumatic cylinder said rack is moved to causerotation of said pinion.

13. Apparatus as claimed in claim l2 including means for sensing when areel being wound attains a preselected size, and means under control ofsaid sensleast two reels simultaneously and comprising at least ingmeans for actuating said pneumatic cylinder to two pairs of chuck meanssymmetrically disposed on swing said arms so that said pair of rollersmove away either side of said winding roller. from said reel.

14. Apparatus as claimed in claim for winding at 5

1. Apparatus for handling reels of paper or like material comprising apair of rotatable chuck means adapted to be inserted into opposite endsof a hollow core on which a reel is to be formed, a carrier for each ofsaid chuck means, support means for each of said carriers, a platform,means for movably connecting said support means having a surface alongwhich one of said carriers is arranged to be moved, a fixed mounting,means pivotally connecting said platform to said fixed mounting, theaxis of said pivotal connection being parallel to the axis of said corewhen the latter is engaged by said chuck means, operating meansconnected to said platform, separate drive means extending between eachof said support means and its associated carrier for moving saidcarriers along the respective surfaces of said support means, saidcarriers being arranged to be moved in one direction along therespective surfaces on said support means by both said drive meansduring formation of the reel to a rest position prior to said operatingmeans becoming operable, said operating means being operable aftercomplete formation of the reel to cause said platform to move relativeto said fixed mounting about said pivotal connection so as to move thecompleted reel to an unloading position, and control means adjacent atleast one of said surfaces at said rest position for actuating saidoperating means and arranged so that actuation of said operating meansis inhibited until said carrier has reached said rest position toactuate said control means.
 2. Apparatus as claimed in claim 1 adaptedto accommodate at least two reels simultaneously and comprising at leasttwo pairs of chuck means each with its associated carrier, supportmeans, platform and fixed mounting disposed in a generally symmetricalarrangement.
 3. Apparatus as claimed in claim 1 in which said operationmeans is a pneumatic cylinder and said control means comprises amicroswitch operable by said carrier and a solenoid valve operable bysaid microswitch for controlling the flow of air to the pneumaticcylinder.
 4. Apparatus for forming reels of paper or like materialincluding at least one pair of chuck means on which a reel can besupported for rotation during its formation by insertion of said chuckmeans respectively into opposite ends of a hollow core on which saidreel is wound, comprising a driven rotatable winding roller, a carrierfor each of said chuck means, support means for each of said carriers,said support means each having a horizontal surface along which theassociated carrier is movable, and at least one operating means arrangedto retain the peripheral surface of the reel in contact with theperipheral surface of said winding roller as the reel is wound and saidcarriers move along said horizontal surface away from said windingroller, said operating means including first moving means and a constantratio linkage connecting said moving means to one of said carriers, saidconstant ratio linkage comprising a pivotally mounted lever connected atdifferent radii from the axis of its pivot to the first moving means andto the associated carrier.
 5. Apparatus as claimed in claim 4 in which afirst moving means and a constant ratio linkage is provided on each ofthe support means.
 6. Apparatus as claimed in claim 5 in which saidfirst moving means is a pneumatic cylinder to which pressure air issupplied.
 7. Apparatus as claimed in claim 6 including valve meansconnected to said pneumatic cylinder and adapted to be actuated tocontrol the pressure of the air supplied to said pneumatic cylinder. 8.Apparatus as claimed in claim 7 including means to automatically actuatesaid valve means so that as the reel being formed increases in diameterthe pressure of the air supplied to said pneumatic cylinder isprogressively decreased.
 9. Apparatus as claimed in claim 4 in which thelayout of the apparatus is such that, on commencement of forming thereel, the angle between the horizontal plane containing the axis ofrotation of said winding roller and the radius of the winding rollerthrough the point of contact of said winding roller with the core isbetween 20* and 60*.
 10. Apparatus as claimed in claim 9 in which saidangle is between 30* and 50*.
 11. Apparatus as claimed in claim 4 inwhich said operating means further includes a bracket positioned betweena pair of said support means between which the core is supported by saidchuck means, second moving means carried by said bracket, a pair of armspivotally connected at one end thereof to said bracket, two platespivotally connected to the other ends of said pair of arms, and a pairof rollers rotatably mounted between said plates, said second movingmeans being operable to cause said arms to swing about their pivotalconnection to said bracket so as to move said pair of rollers intocontact with the peripheral surface of the core prior to commencement offormation of said reel and maintain said rollers in contact with theperipheral surface of said reel as it is wound.
 12. Apparatus as claimedin claim 11 in which said second moving means comprises a pneumaticcylinder, a piston rod movable upon actuation of said cylinder, atoothed rack fixed to said piston rod, and a pinion fixedly connected tosaid pair of arms and in mesh wIth said rack, so that on actuation ofsaid pneumatic cylinder said rack is moved to cause rotation of saidpinion.
 13. Apparatus as claimed in claim 12 including means for sensingwhen a reel being wound attains a preselected size, and means undercontrol of said sensing means for actuating said pneumatic cylinder toswing said arms so that said pair of rollers move away from said reel.14. Apparatus as claimed in claim 5 for winding at least two reelssimultaneously and comprising at least two pairs of chuck meanssymmetrically disposed on either side of said winding roller.